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Fallingwater is offline Fallingwater
2012-08-23 , 18:38
Posts: 80 | Thanked: 79 times | Joined on May 2012 @ Northern Italy
#1
Partially because I didn't have a suitable micro-sized replacement, and partially because I wanted to be able to plug USB thumbdrives in the phone without having to cart an adapter around with me, I did this Frankeinsteinian arrangement. I took pictures of the whole process, but my camera promptly and helpfully corrupted the files, so I took a few pics of the completed job.





I soldered wires to the usual points on the motherboard (except ground, which I got from the mounting point of the deceased microUSB socket), and I let them outside from the old receptacle of the port; in order to do so I had to carve away a significant part of the top enclosure using a dremel.



I also removed a small part of the metal shield inside the top casing. I grabbed this picture online.



The red part is what I cut - there's a sort of "wall" that interferes with the passage of the wires from the board, and it had to go. I sanded the result so it wouldn't cut the wires and cause a short.

I then affixed the type-A USB socket to the phone itself using a large glop of melt glue; I did not have much available space to glue to, so I did the most of what I had - melt glue being the only type of glue that works better the more of it you apply. So far it seems stable; should the glue eventually let go I'll try two-part epoxy instead.

Then I just had to solder the four wires, and cover the solder points in more melt glue, and this is the result. Works perfectly for plugging in stuff, and all I had to do to connect the phone to the computer/charger was hack up a male-to-male USB cable. Coincidentally, if you ever need to do that, use chunky cables and keep them short; my first attempt with the cheapest cables I could find got the N900 complaining it wasn't getting enough power to charge.
 

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RiD is offline RiD
2012-08-23 , 19:00
Posts: 209 | Thanked: 203 times | Joined on Jun 2010 @ Portugal
#2
that's insane.
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sixwheeledbeast is offline sixwheeledbeast
2012-08-23 , 19:13
Posts: 2,292 | Thanked: 4,135 times | Joined on Apr 2010 @ UK
#3
You do realise that a microUSB is more hard wearing than a standard size port.

There was talk on mating cycles on IRC recently.

If you charge your device once a day; a microUSB port has a life of ~27 years, a miniUSB is ~11 years and a standard USB is ~4 years.

Since you now have a USB port sticking out, it maybe worth considering a DC power connection too, to take the load off the USB.
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Estel is offline Estel
2012-08-23 , 19:38
Posts: 5,028 | Thanked: 8,613 times | Joined on Mar 2011
#4
Originally Posted by Fallingwater View Post
because I wanted to be able to plug USB thumbdrives in the phone without having to cart an adapter around with me

and all I had to do to connect the phone to the computer/charger was hack up a male-to-male USB cable.
So, you've traded carrying female-to-female adapter, for carrying male-to-male adapter?

Nevertheless, good work. It's kind of a demolition, but, if it's OK for Your use case, why not? Congratulation on finishing it, as repairing port via cable method isn't as easy as it may sound.

/Estel
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Dhobla01 is offline Dhobla01
2012-08-23 , 19:44
Posts: 21 | Thanked: 2 times | Joined on Aug 2012 @ Treviso, Italy
#5
Originally Posted by Fallingwater View Post
Partially because I didn't have a suitable micro-sized replacement, and partially because I wanted to be able to plug USB thumbdrives in the phone without having to cart an adapter around with me, I did this Frankeinsteinian arrangement. I took pictures of the whole process, but my camera promptly and helpfully corrupted the files, so I took a few pics of the completed job.





I soldered wires to the usual points on the motherboard (except ground, which I got from the mounting point of the deceased microUSB socket), and I let them outside from the old receptacle of the port; in order to do so I had to carve away a significant part of the top enclosure using a dremel.



I also removed a small part of the metal shield inside the top casing. I grabbed this picture online.



The red part is what I cut - there's a sort of "wall" that interferes with the passage of the wires from the board, and it had to go. I sanded the result so it wouldn't cut the wires and cause a short.

I then affixed the type-A USB socket to the phone itself using a large glop of melt glue; I did not have much available space to glue to, so I did the most of what I had - melt glue being the only type of glue that works better the more of it you apply. So far it seems stable; should the glue eventually let go I'll try two-part epoxy instead.

Then I just had to solder the four wires, and cover the solder points in more melt glue, and this is the result. Works perfectly for plugging in stuff, and all I had to do to connect the phone to the computer/charger was hack up a male-to-male USB cable. Coincidentally, if you ever need to do that, use chunky cables and keep them short; my first attempt with the cheapest cables I could find got the N900 complaining it wasn't getting enough power to charge.

you asre very fun!!
thankss
 
Fallingwater is offline Fallingwater
2012-08-23 , 20:29
Posts: 80 | Thanked: 79 times | Joined on May 2012 @ Northern Italy
#6
Originally Posted by sixwheeledbeast View Post
You do realise that a microUSB is more hard wearing than a standard size port.

There was talk on mating cycles on IRC recently.

If you charge your device once a day; a microUSB port has a life of ~27 years, a miniUSB is ~11 years and a standard USB is ~4 years.
I find these numbers questionable. My main computer is about four years old, and its ports routinely see more than one connection per day; as a computer tech I'm always using USB stuff of one kind or another, and I can easily average 5 or 6 connections daily. No ports have failed yet.

Even if that were true, though, as much as I'm loving this phone I don't think I'll still be using it four years from now. I hope they'll put out something else Linux-powered in all that time, anyway; I used to like Android (I still think it's better than the common alternatives), but after using Maemo for only a few days it feels inelegant and cumbersome.

As for the charging-once-a-day issue, I have another... thing... planned. It involves more melt-glue. When I do it I'll post it here.

Originally Posted by Estel View Post
So, you've traded carrying female-to-female adapter, for carrying male-to-male adapter?
The female-to-female would have to be carried wherever I might need to interface with USB, and that is essentially everywhere. The male-to-male in contrast only needs to stay where I charge the phone, typically at home.
Also, it's easier to find cabled male plugs than female sockets (extension cords being just about the only source of the latter); in an emergency I could get a pair of scissors, gut the first two USB interface wires I found, tape the result and have a charging cable ready in a few minutes.

repairing port via cable method isn't as easy as it may sound.
I gave a shot to resoldering the original port before I started this whole thing, but it proved entirely unfeasible. Every other method would have required wiring of contacts anyway.
Last edited by Fallingwater; 2012-08-23 at 20:37.
 

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Estel is offline Estel
2012-08-23 , 20:47
Posts: 5,028 | Thanked: 8,613 times | Joined on Mar 2011
#7
Originally Posted by Fallingwater View Post
I find these numbers questionable. My main computer is about four years old, and its ports routinely see more than one connection per day; as a computer tech I'm always using USB stuff of one kind or another, and I can easily average 5 or 6 connections daily. No ports have failed yet.
That's absolutely true. I don't know where USB-alliance got those numbers from, but it seems like totally made-up, IMO.

The main reason for microUSB was to "save wear on ports", and put it on cables, that are much more cheap to replace. Good idea, but fatal in practice - from day one of microUSB presence, mobile service centers are literally full of broken-port repairs. At the same time, it was much less of a concern in times of microUSB.

Maybe it's not entirely USB alliance to be blamed (no idea) - as it's possible, that internal construction of ports make them less prone to wear. Hoever, on 99% of devices, microUSB port is soldered only to surface of PCB, where roughly 70% (from practice, not scientifically measured) of miniUSB ports were soldered through holes in PCB, and definitely 100% of normal-sized USB ports are made this way.

This sole fact defeat whole purpose of wear-prone ports, as they fall apart like flies, and we need to do tricks like soldering them down.
---

As for cables vs. "normal" repair, I never meant that You did it "wrong". It's absolutely understandable, that You decided to go cable way, as repairing it on pads is PITA, and once pads were damaged 1st time, you can't tell for sure if they won't fell apart completely, even despite soldering port down etc. Using testpads method is only sane way of repairing it. I just meant, that it isn't as easy as some people may think, judging by pictures only - soldering to pads is OK, but creating free space for cables may be PITA, again.

In fact, it's the "demolition" you have made inside case - under camera space - that shocked me more, than a "outside look" of Your device. Not much choice, though, for having cables reliable placed. Another approach would be to cut some of unnecessary plastic from under secondary board (one with camera flashlight and microSD), and run cables through there.
---

After all, despite looking terribly, good job Just keep in mind, that You don't have 5V fuse, and external antii-ESD protection for USB (but, USB chip itself have internal protection components, rated for 8,8 kV, so unless You want to catch lightning-strikes by your USB cable, You should be OK).

/Estel

Ps.

You're planning to add power-mat to device, for wireless charging? It was covered in some thread, here, on TMO.
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sixwheeledbeast is offline sixwheeledbeast
2012-08-23 , 20:54
Posts: 2,292 | Thanked: 4,135 times | Joined on Apr 2010 @ UK
#8
Originally Posted by Fallingwater View Post
I find these numbers questionable.
Fact

The microUSB was specially designed so the male side takes the most of the stress and wear from reinserting.
The other types of USB the female side has a spring to push the male connection in place. This means the female part takes more wear.

The idea is the cable is easily replacable, the port not so.

Hence rated for 10000 mating cycles on microUSB over 1500 on standard USB.

Originally Posted by Fallingwater View Post
I hope they'll put out something else Linux-powered in all that time
I wouldn't hold your breath.
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Estel is offline Estel
2012-08-23 , 21:25
Posts: 5,028 | Thanked: 8,613 times | Joined on Mar 2011
#9
Those numbers hardly keep their ground in practice.

Sure - idea of putting D+,D-,+5V and ground springs to male plug, and leaving solid pads on female side is OK, and I'm all with it. port's case springs ("tooths) are irrelevant, though - in "big" USB, they were present on female ports cases, and I yet have to see single spring of this type broken (unless someone bend it on purpose).

The problem is - as I've stated in previous post - way used to mount microUSB ports to PCB. I'm 99% sure, that, while testing connecting cycles, they've checked sole port and plug, not port soldered to PCB via surface-only, like it's done in 99% of microUSB electronic. Basically, nothing to add, above what was written in my last post - this part of design just sucks, and we know it "personally".

Maybe there was some good will, due due to this single flaw, every serviceman I've ever meet, claimed to have *awesome* number of broken microUSB port repairs, if compared to miniUSB and normal USB era. I don't argue, that microUSB port/plug design isn't superior, but way of mounting it to PCB is horrible and wrong from foundation.

/Estel
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Last edited by Estel; 2012-08-23 at 22:34.
 

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sixwheeledbeast is offline sixwheeledbeast
2012-08-23 , 22:00
Posts: 2,292 | Thanked: 4,135 times | Joined on Apr 2010 @ UK
#10
Do remember though I am refering to wear and mating cycles, these figure reflect that and I can believe them.
I can't say that a big USB would get used to the extent of 1500 mating cycles so how can you compare.
This isn't a port design issue, I feel the port is a lot better design; for the reasons above.

The problem as you say is the way the port has been surface mounted to PCB's.
I do agree that these tests must have only included the port internals and not the mounting to the device.
I feel that the methods behind mounting the USB port was not throughly tested before being forced on to the market as a compulsary requirement; so the most cost effective was used.
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